This page relates to the 2021-24 National Land Transport Programme.

Introduction

This page sets out guidance on the activity classes for road improvements and provides links to work category definitions and guidance, relevant policies and profiling guidance.

There are two activity classes:

  1. Local road improvements – applies to approved organisations for investment in improving the levels of service for new or existing local roads.
  2. State highway improvements – applies to Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (for its own activities) for investment in improving the levels of service for new or existing state highways.

Some projects with a safety focus may be funded from the Road to Zero activity class. Please refer to the Road to Zero page for more guidance.

Road to Zero

Government expectations

We (Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency as investor) expect that investments from the local road and state highway improvements activity classes will contribute to results sought by the government.

Government expectations  by activity class

Qualifying for National Land Transport Programme consideration

Any public road (defined as any road that is available to the public on a full-time basis) improvement activity described in the work categories in this section may qualify for consideration for inclusion in the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) and subsequent funding approval.

Any proposed activity is eligible by meeting the definition of the local road improvements, or state highway improvements activity class in the Government Policy Statement on land transport and the appropriate work category definition in this Knowledge Base.

All regionally delivered road improvement activities proposed for inclusion in the NLTP must be included in a regional land transport plan (RLTP).

Approved organisations and Waka Kotahi (for its own activities) must comply with the Waka Kotahi Procurement manual and procurement rules, as well as any relevant standards and guidelines as listed in the NZ Transport Agency register of network standards and guidelines.

Procurement manual

NZ Transport Agency register of network standards and guidelines

Road improvements activities described in the following work categories are eligible for inclusion.

Road improvements work categories

State highway and/or local road improvements activity classes contain the following work categories (most of which are common to both):

Funding assistance for local road improvement projects that benefit state highways

Local road improvement projects may, at our (Waka Kotahi as investor) discretion, be partly or fully funded as effective state highway improvement projects from the local road improvements, state highway improvements, or Road to Zero activity classes.

The following criteria apply:

  • Greater state highway benefits can be purchased per dollar when compared with upgrading the state highway.
  • We and the local authority have agreed that the project is the best investment option.
  • We and the local authority have agreed on attribution of benefits and sharing of construction costs.
  • The project is unlikely to proceed if left to the local authority (ie funded at the normal funding assistance rate).

Normal or enhanced funding assistance rates, as the case may be, shall apply to each party’s share of the cost of improvements. Arrangements for road maintenance may differ on a case-by-case basis.

Other transport-related funding policies

In some cases, a project may have a third party or crown funding component and a NLTF component, but these projects are still required to meet all the NLTP inclusion requirements and are subject to profiling and prioritisation under the Waka Kotahi Investment Prioritisation Method. Examples of these activities include:

  • Auckland Accelerated Package – applies to Auckland Transport local roads and Waka Kotahi (for its own activities)
  • Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) – transport activities that qualify for this
  • Housing Infrastructure Fund – advanced funding for transport projects to enable fast-tracking of the construction of new housing developments, as per the Housing Infrastructure Fund allocation.

Crown appropriations for the Accelerated Regional State Highway Programme (ARSHP) and the New Zealand Upgrade Programme (NZUP) apply only to Waka Kotahi (for its own activities). Activities funded through this mechanism, while included in the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP), are not subject to profiling and prioritisation under the Waka Kotahi Investment Prioritisation Method, but are subject to any requirements set by the Minister of Transport.

Accelerated Regional State Highway Programme

New Zealand Upgrade Programme - Transport

2021-24 NLTP Investment Prioritisation Method

Further guidance on transport-related topics is available. The policy within these is to be applied to applications for funding assistance as relevant.

Other transport-related funding policies

Developing road improvement activities

For guidance in developing road improvement activities, see the requirements for improvement proposals.

Requirements for improvement proposals

For guidance on low-cost, low-risk roading improvements, see work category 341.

Work category 341: Low-cost, low-risk improvements

Profiling and prioritising road improvement activities

Road improvement activities proposed for funding from the NLTF are profiled and prioritised under the Waka Kotahi Investment Prioritisation Method.

2021-24 Investment Prioritisation Method

See work category 341 for guidance on low-cost, low-risk improvement programmes.

Work category 341: Low-cost, low-risk improvements